Generations
by LightningWolfHowl
Summary: Follow up to "True loyalties" several years later, the team faces a new threat and their decendants are called in for back-up. AL/Art; Roy/Chesh; Rob/Zat; SB/MM
1. Chapter 1

A young black man sat down nervously in a corridor, outside a room. It was eleven o'clock on a freezing December's night and he had been here for at least seven hours. He glanced over at a red headed man in his mid twenties, he too looked exhausted but smiled sympathetically. He shifted nervously and held back a sigh. He looked at his wristwatch for at least the hundredth time in the space of an hour. He looked around again before declaring to the red haired man.

"I am quite certain it did not take this long last time..."

"You're right there... I hope everything's all right." Said the man

There were screams of childish excitement coming from down the corridor. The two men turned to see two young girls pushing past a nurse while getting chased by an older man with blonde hair. One of the girls looked like she was about eight and had black hair that came down to her shoulders and blue eyes. The other had dark skin and dark eyes but golden hair that she had tied up in a ponytail. The girls ran along past the two men.

"I'm not as young as I used to be... " Said the man "I can't keep up after these girls..."

"I understand Lawrence..." Said Kaldur after a chuckle "Primrose come here please, it is late and many people are trying to sleep it would be preferable if you were quiet."

"Yes, daddy..."

The little girl with golden hair ran back to her father and without giving him any warning jumped into his arms and gave him a large hug. At four years old Primrose had started to develop some average language skills and was very quick on her feet. Much like her father she spoke in a very formal manner most of the time but had picked up some of her mother's speech methods. Roy rolled his eyes.

"Now watch as Lian does exactly as I say..." Said Roy sarcastically "Lian you too..."

"No!"

"Lian come on..." He said exasperatedly

"No!"

"Don't make me come over there!"

Lian started to scream with laughter and ran off. Roy sighed and ran after the eight year old. Lawrance laughed before facing Kaldur. Primrose was now fast asleep in her father's arms. His eyes softened at the sight of his child sleeping. Lawrence smiled warmly before walking over and patting his grandchild on the head.

"Children, eh?" He said to the Atlantean

"They are very cute without a doubt."

"I remember when you and your girlfriend were smaller than she is now!" Said Lawrence

"You have showed us the baby photos." Said Kaldur with a smile

"I wonder what is taking so long..." Wondered Lawrence

"I am sure it did not take this amount of time last time. I hope everything is all right..."

A second later, the door swung open as Jade stepped out. She looked like someone who hadn't slept in over a week. She looked around furiously, her angry gaze settled on the Atlantean who suddenly looked uneasy. Kaldur'ahm didn't like getting stared at like this and had the sudden feeling that he had done something very wrong...

"You didn't get a scan did you?" She asked him

"Well... We went but the clinic was attacked by Scarecrow..." Admitted Kaldur "So we were unable to have one done. Is there a problem?"

"You better come in and see for yourself..."

Primrose was quite a light sleeper and woke up. She was tired though and walked along clumsily. Kaldur felt a lump in his stomach. What had happened? He was more than a little nervous. He had chosen to stay outside with Primrose had that been a mistake? He could see Paula in her chair near to Sha'lain'a looking at Artemis. Lawrence came in behind him. He walked over Artemis looked far more tired than she had before.

"Mommy?" Asked Primrose

Artemis looked at her daughter and smiled warmly. It seemed like everything was fine but what Jade had said had led him to believe other wise... He came a little closer and spotted a little being in a pile of blankets. His eyes widened as he spotted what else was different.

"Two?" Kaldur yelled in shock and overjoyed

"I had twins you big guppy!" Laughed Artemis tiredly

"And that's why you get a scan!" Declared Jade

Aqualad went to his wife's side and placed an arm around her shoulders. One of the youngsters was a girl, she had a white or platinum tuft of hair, her eyes were the same silver as her father's as was her skin colour. The other was a very small baby boy, he had his mother's eyes and skin but his father's hair. The child moved slightly to make it's self more comfortable. Lawrence chuckled.

"Two kids?" He asked "Well come on then, that means you get to use both names... Or are you gonna change."

"No..." Said Artemis "I'm not sure about you Kal but I liked the original ones."

"Indeed, Sar'ah and Kalin they shall be. Come Primrose... See you brother and sister."

The little girl came a bit closer and looked at the babies before smiling faintly. She wasn't too sure what all this meant despite the fact that all of her family and tried to explain it to her. Where these kids really coming home with them?


	2. Chapter 2

"Primrose! Sar'ah! Kalin! Come on guys you're gonna be late!"

Artemis yelled up the stairs of their suburban home. The house was big enough for the whole family to have their own rooms but not huge either. A young boy with short platinum hair and tanned skin was the first to rush down the stairs. He was an average height for a boy of twelve and fairly skinny. Unlike his parents the boy lacked a muscular build but that was probably due to his age. He looked very nervous to say the least.

"You're father's cooking breakfast, it's pancakes..." She said to him

"Pancakes?" Came a voice from the top of the stairs

Another kid slightly taller than her twin brother came down. She had dark skin, silver eyes and short platinum hair. Both children were dressed in casual clothes and looked at their mother. Sar'ah with excitement and Kalin with worry. Artemis had just enough time to get out of the way as a 14 year old slid down the banister of the stairs almost crashing into her. Primrose landed agility. She had her father's dark skin but her mother's golden hair and dark eyes. She was wearing the typical girl's uniform for Gotham academy, which she hated. Artemis gave her a stern look.

"Prim..." She said

"I know... The balustrade is not a ski ramp and the outside of the house is not to be used for abseiling... Relax mom!"

"Mind your mother Primrose!"

Kaldur'ahm stepped into view. He wad now no longer a teenager or even a young adult for that matter, at 35 he was tall, muscular and maintained a full head of hair. He looked at his family and gave them a warm smile.

"The makes are ready and you have fifteen minutes before the bus arrives I would advise that you do not wait." He said

"Cool pancakes!" Yelled the two twins running past

Kaldur chuckled and watched as Primrose walked after them, she was now a teenager and was beginning to act like one much to her parents dismay. It didn't seem like that long ago that she was just a little baby who wanted her bottle. The children sat down with their parents at a small wooden table for dinner. The family wasn't rich but they weren't poor either, all the rooms were furnished and decorated and they had a nice family car.

"So, back at school guys, you excited?" Asked Artemis

"I am somewhat nervous mother..." Admitted Kalin

"I'm not!" Said his twin

"It is fine to be nervous son." Kaldur reassured him "You have already been to Gotham elementary. You know that school, the teachers and other students. "

"I guess..."

"Cal did you make the lunches?" Asked Artemis

"Indeed, I did."

"Why do we need them anyway?" Asked Primrose "All the other kids eat in the cantine."

"Yes but you guys are allergic to fish which they sometimes serve, remember? We don't want you eating any fish tacos now do we?" Asked Artemis

The kids nodded in agreement, much like their father, the children couldn't eat fish or else they'd come out in some sort of rash or so their parents told them. They were also apparently allergic to the water of the swimming pool so they'd never really been. The kids finished eating and grabbed their school bags. The bus was already outside the front door, Artemis and Kaldur hugged the two younger children and gave Primrose a wave, she wasn't too keen on her friends seeing her parents giving her a hug. They watched as the bus drove off before going back inside.

Kaldur washed up the dishes while Artemis tidied up the girls bedrooms which as usual looked like a hurricane had gone through them. Kalin kept his room completely clean much like his father, who constantly moaned about Artemis leaving a mess their room and him having to tidy it all up. After several minutes, she came back down stairs and found Kaldur sitting on the couch reading a book. He looked up to see her as she came over.

"I swear those kids do it deliberately!" Sighed Artemis

"Artemis the first day that I shared a flat with you and your mother I made the mistake of opening the cupboard... They do exactly the same thing without the potential hazard of a heavy item landing on someone's head!"

"You've obviously never tried walking through Prim's room then..."

"No instead I must navigate the gauntlet of Artemis on a daily basis."

Artemis pushed Kaldur who dropped his book and fought back. He grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her down. She landed on top of him with a _thump _and laughed. Kaldur smiled as he sat up right, Artemis wrapped her arms round his neck and nibbled his ear. They weren't married, they'd never had time but Kaldur had been living with her since he had been kicked out of Atlantis 19 years ago. Even if he could now go back if he chose, nothing above or bellow the water would make him leave her or the rest of his family. Their computer beeped disrupting the couple from a kiss.

Getting up Kaldur turned the screen on to see a slightly younger man with dark hair and sunglasses. Recognising the face, Artemis pulled up a chair and sat on it backwards. Kaldur made sure the webcam was on and gave the other man a smile.

"Hi Kal, Arty! How are things?" He asked

"Fine. How 'bout you Dick?" Asked Artemis

"I'm fine, ya know Ash just went off the school, you're kids still there?" Answered Richard Greyson

"No, they departed on the bus several minutes ago." Said Kaldur

"They grow up so fast..." Richard sighed

"That is a little cliché for you, is it not Robin?" Asked Kaldur with a smile "Everything is all right my friend?"

"Nobody's called me Robin in like ten years!" Laughed Richard before frowning "Yeah, everything's fine... It's just I'm having a bit of trouble getting trough to Ash at the moment. He kust doesn't seem to be listening to me or Zatanna for that matter..."

"You're telling us!" Said Artemis "I remember when Prim used to be a sweat little girl now it's all 'Come on old people keep slowing me down!'. They're teens now, it's what they do..."

"Hmm..."

Richard Greyson and Zatanna Greyson's son Ash was only a few months younger than Primrose and the two were in the same class in school. Ash had dark hair and dark blue eyes, he was also a very good student according to his teachers. The Greyson's were pretty rich as Richard had inherited some sort of trust fund from his parents.

"As nice as it is to chat it's not why I called, there's some kind of trouble down in the harbour." Said Richard "Can I count you guys in?"

"Of course, what kind of trouble is it?" Asked Artemis

"A small shooting but the goons seem to have dug themselves a little too deep for the police, so Connor and Megan went in..."

"Surely they should be able to handle such a situation." Said Kaldur

"Yeah they still called for backup though so it might pay to be cautious... Knowing them it's just Connor using his fists to think again..." Laughed Richard

"We are on our way."

"Hey maybe afterwards we can go and get a drink." Said Richard

"Indeed that sounds pleasant. We will see you there Nightwing."

"Over and out!"

The screen turned off. Artemis and Kaldur'ahm rushed up the stairs and opened their wardrobe. Artemis searched around before finding a small device, she pressed her thumb to it. _**"Recognised B07 Artemis"**_ the computer voice echoed out. They stepped back as the back of the wardrobe suddenly turned around to reveal their superhero suits, in slightly larger sizes for their adult bodies. The two heroes changed and went into the garage. This time Kaldur used his tumb, _**"Recognised B02 Maelstrom." **_a part of the floor opened and turned aroudn to reveal the heroes bikes. They put their helmets on and sped out of the garage heading towards Happy harbour.


	3. Chapter 3

Primrose sighed as her brother and sister continuously chatted to her on the bus. Ash who was sitting next to her on the bus, seemed to consider them amusing, she found them annoying. She still remembered when the two younger family members had been brought home, it had taken her a while to realise that she wasn't alone any more and that she now had these two to contend with. Between Kalin who was sorry for everything and Sar'ah who seemed to have made it her life's work to ruin everything her big sister tried to do; Primrose figured she was pretty stuck.

"So come on sis what happened in your school." Asked Sar'ah

"Nothing! We went in and worked, that's like the fifth time you've asked!" Yelled Prim; Ash held back a laugh

"I am under the impression that something is vexing you sister." Said Kalin

"Seriously? You worked that out?" Ash started to laugh "What's wrong with you?"

"You do realised they're trying to annoy you right?" He said

"What?"

"Ash told us how!" Said Sar'ah giving the older boy a high five

Primrose turned away grumbling to look out the window, she now felt like she was completely outnumbered! She recognised where she was, this was her street, the bus stopped and the kids got out. The eldest Crock didn't even bother to say goodbye to Ash and stormed a head of her brother and sister. She virtually barged down the door.

"Mom, dad! Sar'ah and Kalin are doing that annoying twin ganging together thing again!" She yelled marching into the living room

"It is but a joke..." Said Kalin

They noticed that the room was empty, both their parents had jobs. Artemis worked for Wayne enterprises as a researcher and Calvin Hyde was one of Gotham's few unbent cops. Both were usually back by the time they got in. Figuring that they might be in the kitchen eating, the group changed rooms. The kitchen was empty. Slightly confused, they went upstairs.

"Mommy! Daddy where are you?" Yelled Sar'ah

They searched all of the rooms. They had been cleaned which seemed to indicate that their parents had been in that morning. They even entered the attic, which was usually out of bounds when an adult wasn't in the house. Empty...

"This is beyond a joke!" Yelled Prim, there was no answer

"Where are mother and father, sister?" Asked Kalin

"The garage they're probably hiding there!" Said Primrose running off

It was too obvious now! They were hiding in the garage, during the family games of hide and seek that's where they always went to avoid being spotted. Despite the heaviness of the door Primrose lifted it with one hand.

"Found you!" Screamed Sar'ah

They fell silent. The garage was empty and the car was still there, they hadn't gone to work... So where were they. A mix of panic came over Primrose, she could see her younger siblings starting to become more and more distressed. She took a deep breath to calm herself, she had to appear to be calm and look like she had everything in hand, in front of them. They'd panic if she didn't.

She felt something cold land on her nose, looking up she noticed that the sky had clouded over... Strange it had been sunny and warm just a few moments ago now there was a definite chill in the air. Another drop fell, it was snow! Why was it snowing in September? This would most defiantly freak out her brother and sister.

"Come on guys they must have paid the neighbours a visit..." Said Primrose "I'll make you some chocolate milkshakes..."

They went back into the house. Movement in the corner of Kalin's eye made him turn around. He grabbed his eldest sister's hand. Primrose turned around to see what it was. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a figure in their living room. She looked like she was in her late forties. She had red hair and light blue eyes and was tall. It was her clothes that caught their attention however they were strange, foreign.

Her father's voice echoes through her head _"Primrose you are the eldest, if your siblings are ever threatened it is to you that they will turn not just for guidance but for protection. Never forget that." _She glanced at the twins and the intruder, acting on instinct she charged. Primrose was unnaturally strong for a teenager or her size and her mother and father had always thought her and the others a couple of nifty fighting tricks in case of attack from one of Gotham's many thugs. The woman starred back emptily, Sar'ah joined the charge to Primrose's dismay. The woman raised a hand, suddenly her body seemed to glow and water from a glass rose up and gripped the two girls around the legs. Stopping them dead.

Kalin seeing his sister's in trouble ran in to help. It went completely against his calm and placid nature to attack someone, yet he sung his fist at the woman. She caught it effortlessly, the twelve year old looked back, surprised.

"You have your father's strength little one..." Said the woman softly "I mean you know harm..."

"Where are our parents?" Yelled Primrose "What have you done with them."

"Calm yourselves." Commanded the woman

"Who are you?" Asked Sar'ah

"I am Mera, I used to know your father. Kaldur'ahm." She explained

"Wrong house, our dad's called Calvin Hyde." Said Primrose

"No he is not."

"Lady, I think we ought to know he's our father!"

"Who are you?" Asked Sar'ah "Cause dad never mentioned any Mera."

"He would not have done so... But you can trust me."

The water around the girls' legs suddenly realised them, Sar'ah tried running and Mera but Primrose grabbed her by the shoulder. Perhaps listening to the crazy woman wouldn't be such a bad idea, after all it looked like she had superpowers and they really didn't stand much of a chance against those.

"So why are you here? Did you just stop by for a chat or what?" Mera suddenly looked uneasy and sad

"It is about your parents..."

"Mother and father are not at home at this current time perhaps you would wish to return later?" Said Kalin

"I am afraid that is not possible..." Sighed Mera "Your parents can not be with you any more..."


	4. Chapter 4

Everything was a blur. Time had stopped and had just melted into it's self, this strange new place that Mera had brought them to didn't exist... It was as if they were sitting alone in the dark and cold. Kalin wanted a hug from his father and some words of reassurance from his mother or vice versa. He just wanted to know they were there watching over him, he wanted to feel safe. All he felt at the moment was alone, despite the presence of his sisters. More tears fell down his cheeks, they had been taken to some place called Mount Justice but the mysterious Mera. She'd offered them food and water but all three had refused they really didn't feel like eating right now. The teleporter activated and a blonde man with an 18 year old girl stepped trough. Instantly Kalin and Sar'ah ran at the girl and hugged her.

"Lian!" They screamed

"My folks... They're dead..." She muttered

They fell silent. Lian was their cousin, if her parents were gone as well then it meant that they had lost most of their close family in the space of one day. It also meant that unless their grandparents could take them there would be no where else to go. The three children had assumed that they would go to their uncle and aunty to stay. Lian had also assumed the same, now it seemed that it was impossible.

Lian was the oldest of her parent's friend's children at 18 years old. She had long jet black hair that came down to her shoulders, dark blue eyes like her father and had some Vietnamese features. She was tall and lean. Lian was a dead shot with a bow and was a champion in several martial arts much like Ash amusingly both had been home taught by their parents. Not that it mattered now. The teleporter activated again and this time they could hear the crying before they even saw who it was.

A teenage boy stepped trough holding in his arms a crying little girl. They were followed up by Superman and the Martian Manhunter. Both were friends of the family or rather the children of friends. The boy's name was Jessie, he was 14 years old and went to Happy Harbour High school. He was already very muscular and had short black hair and light brown eyes bordering on amber. His sister, Amelia was only five years old. She had red hair and light blue eyes, her eye were now red and puffy from the tears. A scary thought was starting to occur to the three kids, what if it wasn't just them? What if everyone's parents were gone? What would happen then?

They were then joined by a thirteen year old girl with ginger hair, freckles and pink cat like eyes. She too was in tears being led in by the Flash and his new sidekick Impulse. Her name was Magic. She joined the group of sobbing teenagers. The adults looked on pitifully, they needed comforting and probably the only people who could do that were their parents... Everyone turned as the last group teleported in, Ash walked in front of the Batman went to talk with the adults. The boy sat down with his friends. Nobody said anything. After a while Batman walked over.

"I'm sorry..." He said "Your parents were very brave..."

"What happened to them?" Asked Lian "And don't say it was an accident! It's too much of a coincidence!"

"They died doing their job..." Said Black Canary

"How?" Asked Sar'ah "My mom worked behind a desk."

"You guys are superheroes from TV... You've got to know..." Said Magic

"I think we have the right to know what happened!" Said Primrose

Batman sighed and looked at the children before removing his mask to reveal the slightly older face of the billionaire Bruce Wayne. Ash gasped this man was sort of the adoptive father of his father, did Richard know his real identity as well.

"From what we've gathered your parents were killed by a considerable number of superpowered villains and armed mercenaries." Said Batman that's all we know

"What? What were they doing messing around with them?" Asked Lian

"Their job..." Said Bruce

He walked over and turned on a screen. Pictures of a group of heroes passed in front of them. The first was a tall hero, with a black suit and a blue eagle on it. _**"B01 : Nightwing formerly Robin; Civilian name Richard Greyson. Team stats : Leader; Current statis : Missing in action, large probability of death"**_ Echoed the computer's voice. Ash's eyes widened as he saw his father kicking several villains and knocking them out.

The next was Calvin. The three Crocks watched in awe_** "B02 : Maelstrom formerly Aqualad. Civilian name Kaldur'ahm - Calvin Hyde; Current Statis : Missing in action, large probability of death"**_. The next was a man in a yellow uniform _**"B03 : Flash formerly Kid Flash; Civilian Name : Wally West Current Statis : Missing in action, large probability of death"**_ The emotionless voice continued despite Magic's confused looks. _**"B04 : Superboy Real name : Connor Kent Current statis : Missing in action, large probability of death"**_

By now the group was starting to understand, their parents were heroes. _**"B05 : Miss Martian, Civilian name : Megan Morse Statis : Missing in action, large probability of death" **_The little girl in Jessie's arms started to cry even harder. That was their family covered. _**"B06 : Artemis Civilian name : Artemis Crock; Current stasis : Missing in action, large probability of death" **_Primrose stopped listening why hadn't their parents ever mentioned this little detail about them being heroes? The rest of the names rung out leaving the kids lost for words.

"Your parents were the core members of a super powered team working for the league." Batman explained "They handled the more subtle missions."

"What happened to them?" Asked Ash

"Today at 6.47am, a small shooting occurred in Happy Harbour. Miss Martian and Superboy went to sort out the problem. Things soon took a turn for the worse, it would appear more and more supervillains arrived and overpowered your parents. We found some of their belongings which we will give you after they have been analysed to insure that they are safe." Said Green Arrow

"How do you know what happened?" Asked Lian

"We got a radio message from them." Said Flash

"Can we hear it?"

"No... It's too."

"I think we have that right." Said Sar'ah

"Ok but the kid goes!"

Jessie reluctantly handed his sister to the Martian Manhunter who carried her out the room. The recording played.

"_Hallo league anyone!" Yelled Nightwing to the sound of an explosion_

"_Nightwing what's going on?" Asked Batman_

"_We're under attack, several members down repeat several members down!" He sounded incredibly desperate _

"_Slow down what's happening?" Asked Batman_

"_The call, it was a trap. There are tons of them!" _

_There was a gun shot followed by a yell of pain and a curse from Nightwing. A roar from someone presumably Kaldur or Roy was heard, it was hard to make out which one. It sound like they were in a battlefield from the explosions, sounds of gunfire and monstrous noises. _

"_Nightwing are you alright?" Asked Batman_

"_Yeah, one of em' got me in the leg." Nightwing swore "Icicle and his dad are here now, this keeps on getting better and better..." _

"_Who else is there?" _

"_You mean who isn't? Everyone there are like thirty Kobra venom monsters, soliders from Bialia, about half the convicts from Arkham and Belle Reve, the league of shadows... Bats, this doesn't look good... If we don't make it look after the kids and tell them we love them..."_

_A struggle seemed to have broken out between Nightwing and some others. For a while all they could hear was the battle around them, explosions and occasionally some shouting or even rarely a scream. _

"_Nightwing!" It was Artemis's voice_

"_Artemis, is he?" Asked Batman_

"_No... He's hurt pretty bad though..."_

"_I'm sending you some help!" Said Batman_

"_No, it's too late, if you come here you'll get slaughtered..."_

"_Who's still standing?"_

"_Do you mean who can still fight or who's still alive?" She asked almost jokingly "I'm still here... Megan and Connor are down, Ches is still fighting, Roy's here well most of him."_

"_I got half my arm shot off!" Moaned the hero vaguely _

"_I am still capable of combat..." Kaldur muttered weakly_

"_Look out!" Yelled Cheshire _

_There were a few yells and followed up by a deafening sound of gun fire then silence, a deafening silence that chilled the children to the bone. In their hearts, they knew what the silence meant. It meant their parents were no longer fighting... The last few second of the recording was a laugh. Primrose promised herself she'd find the one laughing and make sure he'd never laugh again._

"That's Icicle junior..." Said Batman "He's the reason it was snowing earlier.

Black Canary gave the children a glance. They were all without exception, exhausted beyond a doubt. She wished that it was the league that had taken the call instead of the kids... _Kids_, they hadn't been kids for a long time now... She looked at the team's children and turned back to face Batman. He nodded, Paula Crock and Lawrence arrived both of them, were devastated but put on a brave face for the children.

"I think it might be best if you all go home." Said Batman

"You coming with me kid?" Flash asked Magic

The kids all sadly nodded. Magic went with her great uncle and second cousin. Martian Manhunter agreed to look after Jessie and Amelia. Ash was left with Batman. Lian, Kalin, Sar'ah and Primrose went home with their grand parents. It was a long sad walk from the magic disused phone box to the flat. Not a word was muttered. Usually it was a big celebration when the children arrived but now there was nothing to celebrate. Their was some plates of food ready just in case.

"You can eat if you want..." Said Paula "We understand if you don't feel like it..."

"Mom and dad are gone..." Muttered Sar'ah "Did- Did you know?"

"Yes... And we always feared that something like this would happen." Said Lawrence putting a hand on his youngest grandchild's shoulder "And so did your parents but they were brave. They didn't let selfishness stop them or concern for themselves, they loved you more than anything else in the world."

"Father and mother left us..." Cried Kalin

"No, they're still watching over you." Said Paula "They're watching all of us, as are your parents Lian and the others' parents."

"They're dead!" Snapped Lian in tears

"See those stars?" Asked Paula looking out the window "They're up there with the stars..."

"Truly?" Asked Kalin through his tears

"Yes."

The children hugged their grandparents. The eldest girls had always considered themselves strong but without their parents they realised they weren't that though... Lawrence and Paula did their best to hold back their emotions so as not to frighten the children. Paula wheeled herself into another room and came back with a silver heart shaped locket which she presented to the children. It opened to reveal on one side a photo of a much younger Kaldur and Artemis playing and laughing, on the other was a photo of the three children several years ago playing with their father.

"This was your mothers, she would of wanted you to have it..." Said Paula

The children accepted it. A few minutes afterwards they had all cried themselves to sleep. The twins were given Artemis and Jade/Kaldur's old beds. Lian took the couch and Primrose was given a mattress. The grand parents watched the children sleep, occasionally one would mutter their parents name and would need comforting. Paula looked up to see her husband's eyes full of tears.

"I can't believe they're gone... They're all gone..." He muttered

"Neither can I... They were so young and had so much to live for..."


	5. Chapter 5

Primrose stared at the blue ocean in front of her. It was hard to understand just what had gone wrong in their lives and they had a lot to get into their heads. She stared at the picture of the young Kaldur and Artemis it struck her that her father seemed to have some odd sort of growth of his neck, they looked almost like gills... The idea that those two were superheroes was hard to understand, why hadn't they ever told them? And who had killed them. Sar'ah and Kalin seemed to be happy just to be at the beach, their parents had never taken them, was it for their own protection? Paula kept an eye on the two older girls who were thinking while Lawrence played with the other two. They had taken the children here to try and take their mind off things. So far they weren't convinced it was working.

Lawrence threw a ball which Kalin ran after, he had always enjoyed playing catch. The little boy grabbed the ball in mid air. Before crashing into someone behind him. The boy turned around to see what he at first believed to be a giant block of ice. When he saw that it had a human form the boy instantly ran for cover. Paula pointed at a large rock and told the children to hide. The man smirked, he was an odd light blueish colour. The children stared in confusion, they'd never seen anyone who looked like this before. He took a step towards Lawrence.

"Yo, Sportsmaster, lookin' a little old don't ya think?" Said the man

"I'm still more than able to give you a kicking..." Said Lawrence

Primrose watched in awe as her grandfather reached into his pocket and got out a small stick which turned into a javelin. He lobbed it at the other man who reached his hand out, ice seemed to appear out of nowhere trapping the weapon. The villain smiled but his grin turned into a grimace as it exploded. Another one flew trough the smoke and broken ice landing just next to him, it too blew up knocking him flying backwards. Lawrence Crock had a proud grin on his face, he caught the looks of awe and amazement of his grandchildren out of the corner of his eye and smirked. He walked over and grabbed the blue man around the neck lifting him into the air.

"You killed my little girls..." He said to Icicle

"And it was so much fun, a shame it ended so quickly..." He said with a grin "What was it Artemis and Jade?"

Lawrence chucked the man through the air to the floor. He landed roughly just in time to receive a foot in the face from Sportsmaster. Lawrence drew a sword and pressed it to his throat. Fear filled Icicle junior's eyes and intense anger and hatred had made their home inside of the old man's brown eyes.

"You are not fit to utter their names!" He yelled

Without warning another ice beam shot out from nowhere hitting Lawrence in the back. His entire lower body up to his neck froze solid. He struggled helplessly against the ice which had become his prison. Another older man appeared. Paula's eyes narrowed as she looked at the two foes, she reached into her pocket and pulled out several shurikens which she threw them towards both villains. All but one were stopped by a wall of ice, the one that made it skinned the oldest man's nose. Before they could react they were forced to stop several explosive bolts that were fired from a small crossbow. The children had no idea their grandmother was this deadly. Another ice beam hit her in her arm. Paula dropped the weapon.

"You knew when you signed up Lawrence." Said Icicle senior coming closer to the trapped man "You don't leave the light."

"The light's done Joar, the kids defeated it." Said Sportsmaster still struggling

"You think? The attack didn't exactly organise itself..." Laughed the younger son

"What do you want from us?" Demanded Paul before whispering to the children "Stay hidden."

"Nobody leaves the Light, you have a choice : You join or you die. From the looks of it both of you could still be of some use." Said Icicle senior

"After you killed our daughters and their boyfriends?" Paula yelled before glancing at Lawrence who nodded "Not a chance!"

"Well then sorry 'bout this Lawrence." Said Icicle senior

He changed his fist into a giant ice mace. Lawrence gave his wife a final look and prepared for the blow. The children watched in horror. As the mace was risen, Primrose took a deep breath. Then finally unable to bare it any longer she ran out and threw herself into the older villain. She gave him a kick in the stomach before hitting him as hard as she could on the nose. Icicle junior spent a moment watching his father in trouble before having a go and grabbing Primrose. Her response was to give him an elbow in the chest. The villain backed off slightly. As Prim turned away from the younger menace the older one succeeded in grabbing her and lifting her off of the ground.

"Well, now who do we have here?" Asked Icicle senior

"Hey, she looks kinda like that babe you know... Aqualad's girl..." Pointed out Icicle junior "Think there could be some sort of relationship?"

"Maybe, we'll just have to take this one's head back, see if they recognise her..."

"Not on my watch!" Yelled Lian

Lian had grabbed her grandmother's crossbow and fired an explosive bolt down at Icicle's feet, he was knocked backwards and dropped his prisoner. Prim fell into a small rock pool and noticed to her dismay that she was wet. Lian fired another bolt into the other villain. As Joar got up he was knocked back down by Sar'ah who jumped straight into him and started to hit him with all of her might. Kalin tended to his eldest sister who seemed to be in pain suddenly. She was rolling around clutching her neck.

"Sister, you do not look well! Are you ok?" He asked

"It stings!" Cried Primrose

"The water!" Yelled Paula "It's the water!"

"Comin' sis!"

Sar'ah broke off from her fight and rushed over to Primrose. Kalin looked back as Lian covered her cousins. Sar'ah attempted to help Primrose who unintentionally splashed her on the hand. She started to have the same reaction, her wet hand suddenly hurt. The fight had just about stopped as everyone watched the kids. After a few moments, the pain stopped. Primrose removed her hands from her neck.

"What the hell?" Yelled Cameron "Looks like the brats are Aqualad and Artemis'!"

"What?" Asked Sar'ah

"Just a little thing you seem to of inherited from your father..." Said Lawrence with a grin "Look in the ice."

Kalin gave his sisters a shard of broken ice. They looked in to discover that the same growth that their father had on his neck had appeared on theirs. Sar'ah dropped the ice as she noticed that there was now a thin webbing between her hands. No wonder their parents hadn't ever let them go into the sea, if this was the result... Remembering the problem the girls charged back in. Both had been given some degree of what Primrose now knew was a form of combat training by their parents. Seeing his sisters fight, Kalin rushed in and hit Joar over the head so hard that he fainted. The little boy starred at his hands in disbelief. Cameron looked uneasy, as he considered his next action another bolt flew past hitting him in the jaw and knocking him out...

When the younger ice villain awoke he found himself starring into Lawrence's angry eyes. Paula was checking out the girls fins and gills. She was no expert in Atlantean physiology but all of the Atlantean traits seemed to be fully functioning.

"What happened to my sisters, grandmother?" Asked Kalin

"Yeah, how come they turned into fish?" Lian questioned

"Not fish Atlanteans!" Said Paula "It must have occurred when you came into contact with the water!"

"I can touch the water, no problem!" Said Lain, demonstrating by reaching into a rock pool.

"Both your parents were human." Said Laurence with a chuckle "Well not Roy, we was more of a moddyatron."

"Moddyatron? I am unfamiliar with this species." Said Kalin

"It's a joke." Said Paula "Your uncle was quite moody in his youth."

"Both parents were human... What do you mean ours weren't?" Asked Primrose

"No..." Admitted Paula "Your father was half Atlantean, he lived underwater for most of his life until he was exiled that is..."

"But you couldn't see his gills!" Said Sar'ah

"Later on in his life, he got his 'fish side' under control. He chose not to show you..." Said Lawrence

"So, your not human." Said Lian to her cousins

"They're more human than not." Explained Paula "Just one quarter Atlantean..."

"Yep, a quarter fish!" Lawrence laughed "Oh and look who's awake!"

Sportsmaster noticed that Icicle junior was awake. He lifted up the younger man by the collar. He smiled nastily looking at the fear in the villains eyes. Paula knew what he was doing, he was intimidating the man to make interrogation slightly easier.

"First things first..." Said Lawrence "Are they still alive..."

"No..."

"Really cause you talked 'bout 'em like they were earlier on, how can you take someone's head to a dead person?" Asked Lawrence, Icicle didn't answer "Ok if that's how you want to play it you glorified ice popsicle! Lian!"

Lian handed her grandfather a burning torch but she was unsure what he was going to do with it. Sportmaster raised it closer to the villain's face so that the ice around him began to melt because of the flickering flames. Cameron struggled to get away with all of her strength. Artemis and Kaldur's children weren't to sure if they agreed with this approach, Lian couldn't care and Paula wished that her husband would stop showing off in front of his grandchildren!"

"Ok... OK! I'll tell!" Begged Cameron

"Go ahead..." Said Lawrence

"They're still alive... The Light's got them in some base..."

"Where?"

"I dunno... Santa something... Santa Claus?" Lawrence brought the flames a little closer to his face "No! No! Not Santa Claus... Santa... Pri..."

"Santa Prisca?" Lawrence suggested as his eyes widened

"Yes!" He affirmed trembling

"They're alive!" Yelled Lawrence

"YES!" Screamed the children


	6. Chapter 6

Batman turned to face the zeta-tubes as they activated. The Crocks were late... It was unlike them. He sincerely hoped that nothing had happened to them. He looked at Ash who was sitting down alone in a corner of the room. The teenager reminded him a lot of Richard Greyson when he had just lost his parents, he reminded Bruce Wayne of himself. He let out a deep sigh, Robin would have been rather unhappy if he'd of thought his ex-mentor was ignoring his son when he was in need... Batman slowly walked towards the moping teen.

"Ash is there anything you need? Like a cup of coffee or something?" Asked Batman unsure what to say

"No thanks Bruce, I was just thinkin'..." Sighed the boy

"I know what it feels like to loose your parents, so did your father..."

"Will I stop seeing them?" Ash asked

"Hm?"

"I see them, every time I close my eyes or walk into a room they're there smiling... Haunting me."

Ash broke down in tears. Brace stared at him unsure how to react, as Batman he was quite a cold person yet this child was close to him. Well, he was Ash's godfather after all... He still remembered the anger he had initially felt when a nineteen year old Richard had timidly announced the news but after reflection he had calmed down... Now that he thought about it all of the team had had their children young. It was probably inevitable they'd become very close through their missions and time spent at the cave.

Before Bruce could do anything to calm Ash the people arrived through the tube. It was Lawrence dragging Icicle senior. The children were all dragging the villains younger son. The effect was instant on everyone in the cave... They all rushed over to see what on earth was happening... Batman stared at the suddenly more Atlantean looking Sar'ah and Primrose before cliring his throat.

"Explanations! Now!"  
>"Bad guys attack- Kids beat- Team alive." Lawrence summed up<p>

"Dick's ok?" Said Batman perhaps a little too enthusiastically as he got some odd looks 'Where?"

"He's being held on Santa Prisca, with the others." Said Paula

"I'll send the league imme-"

"No!" Lian cut in to everyone's surprise "Who ever these dudes are they took down are folks without braking a sweat. I'm guessing that the league will be the same! But they obviously don't know about us..."  
>"What do you suggest then? Leave them there?" Asked Ash<p>

"No, we could go..."

"Absolutely unacceptable!" Said Batman "You have no training..."

"Sure we do..." Said Magic "All those tricks our parents thought us, how to run faster than the car, lifting weights that no body else could... I see it now, it was training."

"I don't like the idea of having our grandchildren in the firing line..." Said Paula, Lawrence nodded

"Who beat the popsicles?" Asked Sar'ah

"We'll call the league and talk!" Decided Batman

About two hours later, the children sat outside of the main meeting hall in the cave waiting as patiently as they could. Amelia had already started hitting a wall in preperation for combat and was to everyone's surprise actually causing some damage. None of them could be bothered trying to stop her though... Primrose was feeling the string of her compound bow that her parents had bought her for Christmas the year before, it felt different with her new hands. Everything did. Sar'ah was under the same impression. Kalin who hadn't gotten wet was unsure what to think about his sisters' sudden transformation. Batman stepped out from the room.

"It's been decided..." He said "You'll be the ones going but only after you have proved to your new teacher that you're not going to get in trouble within the first five seconds..."

"Cool!" Yelled Jessie "Wait... Who's our new teacher..."

"This is Black Canary, she helped train your parents." Batman said showing a middle aged blonde woman

"We're going to have to do this quickly but efficiently!" She said "Who knows what they're doing to your parents...3

…...

Richard Greyson struggled helplessly against the shackles that were keeping him chained down to an operation table. Sensing that he could not brake the bonds the hero looked around the room he was now in. It was everything except warm or welcoming. The walls were made of cold and somewhat rusty iron. The room was very dark and unpleasantly warm and humid. He frowned. His mask was missing! Where had his mask gone? This wasn't good it meant his secret identity was pretty much out the window... He heart footsteps, it sounded like boots on the iron floor but he was unable to see to whom they belonged. A staggeringly bright light was sawn in his face, blinding him. He winced. It took his eyes a few moments to get used to the brightness.

"Who's there?" He demanded

"All in good time Mr. Greyson." Said a cold voice

"Where's Zatanna?" He yelled

"With your other friends." Replied another voice "Much like Kaldur'ahm and Wally West she refused to comply... We're hoping that you are... More reasonable..."

Nightwing's eyes widened as he figured out what must of happened. Furious he struggled again to free himself so that he could throttle his captors. He had no idea how he had gotten here, all he could remember was the battle and getting hit over the head by a Kobra Venom monster. He had woken up in a dark cell, all alone with a head ache and an indescribably painful leg then someone had come in and given him some seditive he'd woken up here. Now he just wanted his vengeance against those who had attacked his team and presumably tortured his wife. He was suddenly hit with what felt like an electric shock but far worse. Surprised he let out a yell of pain. He noticed a few red disks flying around him. After a few seconds the pain stopped leaving him breathless. He heard some laughter coming from the two voices.

"So hero has our little taster loosened your tongue?" Asked the second crueller voice

"I'm not talking..." Declared Nightwing

"All we require are the entrance codes for the Justice League's security systems." Said the first voice

"Which is also what your not getting!" Said Greyson

"A shame I would have hoped you had more sense than stubbornness... It seems once more we must return to barbarism." Replied the first voice

Richard braced himself by filling his mind with pictures of his beautiful wife and handsome son. The pain started up again but it seemed twice as bad. The corridors filled themselves with the hero's screams.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Sorry for taking so long to upload... I've been busy.**_

Jessie was lying on his back on the cold floor staring up at Black Canary, this was at least the tenth time in one hour she'd knocked him over and he was beginning to get a little tired of it. At the moment Flash was racing Magic who was trying her best to keep up with him. Ash was talking to his grand father Giovanni Zatara. Kalin and Lian were following Green Arrow's instructions and shooting some arrows at a target. Mera was explaining some facts about Atlanteans to a very attentive Sar'ah and Primrose. Jessie was physically picked up by Amelia much to his embarrassment. Black Canary chuckled.

"Perhaps it's your sister who should be training you..." She said.

"Jessie's a wussy..." Laughed the five year old

"We'd she learn words like that?" Asked Dinah almost as if she was accusing Jessie

"Not me... It's my pa!"

Black Canary shook her head, it figured that Connor couldn't control his bad language around his son or daughter. To everyone's general surprise, Superboy had turned out to be a better father than they had originally believed. Perhaps less surprisingly Miss Martian was also a model mother. Diana swung another punch had the boy who blocked. Meanwhile Ash was listening carefully to his grandfather.

"To make the spell work you must concentrate very hard and only on the spell." Giovanni explained "Did you mother teach you any spells?"

"Maybe one or two... She used to tell me them in stories..." Said Ash

"Well then just have a go." Said Giovanni

He stepped aside to reveal a human shaped target. Ash closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could. He let the spell fill his mind as best he could.

"Erif nrub dna nordluac elbbub" He said aloud

Suddenly there was a huge bang and flames appeared out of nowhere surrounding the dummy. The others all turned and watched in awe. When the flames disappeared all that was left of the statue was a pile of ash and cinders. Giovanni looked at his grandson, impressed. Ash didn't seem to have let it go to his head.

"I... Don't think that magic is going to be a problem. How's your hand to hand combat?" Asked Giovanni

"Satisfactory." Said Batman walking over "You are all at the same level as your parents were when they first formed the team, with one exception."

"What's that?" Asked Sar'ah

"You have absolutely no experience of what it's like out there in the field." Batman stated coldly "It's not like simulations, your parents very first mission, if you could call it that, almost resulted in disaster and they had experience. You do not."

The children looked at their feet. Bats had a point with little or no experience of actually fighting for their lives, the children did have a great disadvantage. They needed more training, ideally a year or two as a sidekick but here time was a luxury they didn't have. It had been almost a month since the disappearance of their parents and with each passing the day the chances of finding them in a reasonable state decreased.

"Batman!" Said Red Tornado walking in

"What?" Asked the dark knight

"There's an incoming transmission." Informed the android "From Lex Luthor."

"Patch it through, kids stay out of the camera." Batman warned

The kids did as they were told and backed away. They didn't want Luthor to know of the existence of these new heroes. A holographic screen appeared revealing a bold man and another well build man with dark hair and a horrific disfiguring scar. Batman gave them a cold batglare but strangely they seemed unfazed.

"Hallo Batman, it's been a while now hasn't it?" Said Luthor

"Where are they?" Asked Batman coldly

"Oh, they're doing fine..." Said Vandal Savage "Would you like to talk to one of them? How about archery girl?"

The two men stepped aside to reveal a battered looking Artemis. She had several cuts on her face and her costume was torn in several places, her mask had been ripped clean off. She was struggling against a cold metal torturing table trying to free herself from the shackles but failing, she caught sight of the camera.

"Batman!" She yelled "Don't tell em' anything Bats!"

"How noble!" Declared Lex "What are the security codes to the league systems?"

"I can't give you those..." Said Batman

"Oh well..."

There was a moment's silence. Everyone watched and shifted uneasily. Artemis closed her eyes. Time trickled past slowly for what seemed to be an eternity. Artemis' children where perhaps the most nervous, waiting to see what would happen. Lex slowly turned around and aimed a gun at the archer, she shuddered. He fired two shots straight into her left leg. The woman let out a piercing yell of pain. Lex prepared to do the same again.

"Stop it!" Yelled Primrose rushing into view of the camera

"Prim!" Yelled Artemis in alarm and fear

"And who is this?" Asked Vandal Savage

"My niece..." Said the Batman

"Is that so?.. Well then, we just wanted to let you know that unless you handover the codes within the next week, we might just start getting a little trigger happy..."

"You stupid fools..." Said Artemis through gritted teeth

"Let's go for lucky number three shall we?" asked Lex

He fired yet another shot into the archer's leg, he bit her lower lip so hard that she drew blood but she didn't scream. He didn't want to give them the satisfaction or appear weak in front of her children. The screen turned off. Batman spent a moment starring at the screen with the kids before turning back around to face them.

"You leave tonight." He declared

"How are we going to get there?" Asked Magic "By plane?"

"No.. I have a better idea." Said the Batman


End file.
